WrestleMania 28: WWE Got It Wrong with Sheamus' 18-Second Victory

WWE whiffed on the first pitch.

In the opening match of Sunday night’s Wrestlemania 28, Sheamus defeated Daniel Bryan in 18 seconds. The rapid conclusion revealed the business’ lack of intelligence.

How in the world could WWE not have come up with a better plot? A first-grader is capable of writing a more enticing script.

Matt Hardy mocked the result, tweeting:

"

Don't sweat it.. Just saw the runsheet, the Sheamus-Bryan match will be revealed as an April Fool's Day joke.. Full match later tonight LOL

— Matt Hardy (@MATTHARDYBRAND) April 1, 2012"

Sheamus vs. Daniel Bryan was for the World Heavyweight Championship. If a Manny Pacquiao-Floyd Mayweather fight ended in 18 seconds, the sport of boxing would die.

Yeah, such a disappointing ending is guaranteed to ignite a reaction. That has to be what the WWE was gunning for. But congratulations on completely throwing the fans under the bus at the same time.

Following the gaffe that was the match, Arda Ocal of the Baltimore Sun tweeted:

"

Fans STILL chanting "Daniel Bryan". RT of you'd love to somehow see a rematch with Sheamus tonight at #Wrestlemania

— Arda Ocal (@arda_ocal) April 1, 2012"

Sure, history was made in the match’s quick finish. But no one wants to witness that type of history in a championship. Suspense is what the people want—not a don’t-blink-or-you’ll-miss-it knockout.

Comparatively, Kelly Kelly and Maria Menounos’ Divas match vs. Beth Phoenix and Eve lasted almost seven minutes. That's basically the equivalent of the Super Bowl halftime show being longer than the game.

The WWE’s priorities are out of whack.

David Daniels is a featured columnist at Bleacher Report and a syndicated writer.

Follow @TheRealDDaniels